Baljek Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Government of Meghalaya | ||||||||||
| Serves | Tura,Meghalaya, India | ||||||||||
| Location | Baljek | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 536 m / 1,760 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 25°39′41″N90°20′42″E / 25.66139°N 90.34500°E /25.66139; 90.34500 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  VETU Location of the airport in Meghalaya Show map of Meghalaya VETU VETU (India) Show map of India | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Baljek Airport (ICAO:VETU) (also known asTura Airport) is a public airport located at Baljek, 33 km (21 mi) North-east ofTura inMeghalaya,India.
The proposal for the airport was sent to the Indian Government in 1983 and the project was sanctioned in 1995. The airport was inaugurated in October 2008 by then presidentPratibha Patil. It was then built at a cost of Rs 12.52 crore and was initially designed to handle 20 seater aircraft like theDornier 228.[1] Later, theAirports Authority of India (AAI) intended to develop the airport for operation ofATR 42/ATR 72 type of aircraft.[2] The 3,300 foot runway was planned to be extended by another 1,200 feet.[3] A total of 58 acres of additional land was acquired at a cost of Rs 2.58 crore to aid the expansion of the airport.[4]
In 2008 Meghalaya's State Planning Board chairperson,P. A. Sangma, had suggested that the airport would boost export of horticulture produce from the state.[1]